MEET THE CANDIDATE: Ernest Lee Is Running For ApeCoin DAO Special Council

When ApeCoin DAO contributor Ernest Lee isn’t fixing a client’s taxes or working on someone’s motorcycle, he’s helping entrepreneurs fine-tune their businesses. Now, he wants to bring his entrepreneurial skills to the ApeCoin DAO's Special Council. If elected, he hopes to help community members implement their ideas and make their dreams a reality!

The ApeCoin DAO’s summer election season is underway with 10 ApeCoin DAO contributors running for a spot on the 2024 Special Council. Among the candidates vying for a position is Ernest Lee.

“I am an attorney, investor and entrepreneur with extensive experience growing and running businesses," Ernest wrote on his candidate page. “I also run an investment fund and invest heavily in digital assets. BAYC#8335."

To find out more about Ernest Lee and why he is the right $Ape for the job, the Bored Ape Gazette reached out to him for an interview. Check it out below:

1. In a sentence or two what is your candidacy all about?

“As Special Council, I will help AIPs navigate the IP process, develop a sound business plan for their proposals, AND to succeed if (after) their AIP gets approved. I will do this because that is what is best for the ApeCoin DAO. I feel that we should treat the project AIPs as a defacto joint venture and commit resources to make certain that those AIPs succeed.”

 

2. Why did you decide to run for $Ape office?

“I decided to run for Special Council after a conversation with an AIP applicant who knows that I have, for the past thirty years, helped a number of entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. I feel that the Community could benefit from my vision and expertise, both legal and in business.”

3. What makes you the right $Ape for the job?

“I started my first company when I was 19 and had a very good exit only a few years later. Over the past 30 years I have done the same with several companies. As a practicing attorney, I have made a career out of hiring other attorneys and facilitating communications between them and the client. As a business owner and investor, I strive to give people the tools to get the job done and then to get out of their way and let them shine. I currently own a tax practice (Decrypted Tax) providing tax consulting and compliance to individuals and businesses with exposure to digital assets and a motorcycle company (Combat Motors). Because I have such phenomenal people that work with me in each, I have this opportunity to step away from my roles there and to focus on the ApeCoin DAO Special Council position. I feel that I am uniquely qualified to help the ApeCoin DAO succeed in overcoming the challenges that it will face in the next year.”

 

4. What would you like to accomplish during your term?

“I would like to bring my experience and knowledge to the ApeCoin DAO Special Council position and to see more participation by ApeCoin holders and more AIPs being approved and achieving the success that they seek for the good of the AIP applicants and the ApeCoin DAO.”

 

5.  Where would you like to see the DAO a year from now?

"I would like to see the ApeCoin DAO grow in popularity to be recognized as an accelerator or incubator of new ideas and opportunities."

6.What are your thoughts on ApeChain?

"I think that we will see much more from ApeChain than we currently expect. I have high hopes for ApeChain and the folks working on that project. I truly believe that ApeChain will increase the overall demand for ApeCoin and, as an ApeCoin investor, and am excited to see the growth of ApeCoin over the next few year."

7. What’s your favorite book, movie, and show?

"My favorite book is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. I think we need to teach this book to High School kids. My favorite movie is The Lincoln Lawyer. I worked for an attorney once that was a lot like that character. My favorite show is Law and Order. I learned criminal procedure and evidence in law school by pointing out flaws in the storylines of that show."

8. Do you have anything else you’d like to add or say?

"I will always be honest, even when it might be difficult. I will always work until the job is finished; and right. I will always be available to have a conversation with anyone. My door is now, as it will always be, open. If you would like to talk, please book a time here on my Calendly - Ernest Lee: https://calendly.com/ernestleedotcom/"

ApeCoin DAO Contributors who would like to find out more about Ernest's campaign can reach out to him via Twitter @ernestleedotcom

The window to vote in the first round of the ApeCoin DAO’s Special Council election is set to open on June 6th and $Ape holders will have until June 12th at 9 P.M. EST to cast their coins in support their preferred nominees.

After the first round of voting, the top five vote getting nominees will proceed to the second round of voting and officially become ApeCoin DAO Special Council candidates. The DAO will then conduct one more election round from June 13th through June 19th. During this second vote, the community will officially elect two new Special Council members.

Take a look at the full election season timeline below:

The Bored Ape Gazette is working to bring you continued election coverage. Stay tuned for updates!